Operation Phoenix
by Sheena726
Summary: Aiden and Jordan Avery try to get their divorced parents, Jackson and April, back together. Either they succeed, or the events of the past will blow their operation to pieces.
1. Chapter 1: Operation Phoenix

**Hey, Hey, Hey!**

**I know what you're thinking, _"Girl, why are you posting a new story when you haven't updated Equilibrium yet?"_**

**I know, I know. But, I just had this idea and it had me really excited, so I wanted to get it out before I forgot, so please forgive me! I'm going to be trying some new things with this story so I hope it plays out well and you guys like it. The time line in this story isn't exactly the same as on Grey's, so remember that. And some of the things mentioned in this chapter may not make sense or may leave you with questions, but don't worry, as the story unfolds, and the flashbacks happen (you know I got a thing for writing flashbacks), things will start to make more sense!**

**So without further interuption, here it is! **

**_Disclaimer:_ Most character belong to Shonda Rhimes.**

* * *

**_Chapter 1: Operation Phoenix_**

"Happy Birthday Dr. Avery" another of the guests said as they approached him

"Thank you" Jackson smiled shaking his former co-worker's hand before moving on to another guest who had just approached to do the same

It was Jackson Avery's 33rd Birthday. He had just arrived from New Orleans the day before for his birthday and annual summer vacation with his family in Boston. That morning he woke up, expecting his usual birthday breakfast of waffles from his twins, but instead, he was greeted with an empty house and a note that they were hanging with friends that day. Saying that he was bummed was an understatement; he couldn't believe his own children had forgotten his birthday. Things got more awkward when he received a phone call from his mother, saying that the Avery Family was invited to a gala, and he had to be there. She informed him that a tux was being sent to him and before he could question her about this mystery gala, she hung up. He was certainly surprised when he arrived at the venue a few hours later, and the mystery gala was a surprise party planned by his mother and children. After the twins found out that the last birthday party their father ever had was when he was five, they thought it was about time he had another one.

After accepting more birthday wishes from old friends and co-workers, he was joined by his mother who had a large grin on her face.

"Enjoying your party?" she asked

He wasn't a fan of birthday parties, hence the reason he hadn't had one since he was a kid, but the fact that his children had a part to play in it, he greatly appreciated it.

"Yes ma'am" he said before engulfing her in a hug "Thanks mom"

"You're welcome baby" she said hugging back before pulling away "All this running around and keeping my mouth shut actually paid off"

Jackson shook his head at her comment, he himself was surprised that his mother and daughter didn't let it slip to him that there was going to be a party.

He looked over to the side and spotted his grandfather conversing with the present and past surgeons of Mass Gen. He had that bright expression on his face, the one he always had when talking surgery or foundation.

"Grandpa seems to be enjoying himself" he commented

Catherine looked in the same direction and spotted Harper.

"He must be talking about how excited he is now that you're finally back at Mass Gen" she said with a smile

Jackson brows furrowed in confusion "Back? I never said I was coming back"

"Well are you?"

"I don't know, I haven't decided yet"

"What is there to decide when you already have a spot waiting for you? Are you going back to Tulane?"

"Well….maybe" he shrugged "or find someplace else"

"Why would you want to go someplace else when you could continue to learn from your grandfather and I?"

A few years ago, that would have been his go to plan, but things were different now. He liked being an Avery and all the perks that came with it. He especially liked being able to learn from his world renowned grandfather and mother. But during his residency, things changed when Dr. Mark Sloan visited Mass Gen. The older surgeon had planted the idea of perusing plastics in the then fourth year resident's mind. His grandfather wasn't pleased with the change in interest from cardio to plastics, but supported his grandson either way. After seeing Jackson's talent for the specialty, he was willing to let him go to Tulane to learn more, with no doubt that he would return to Boston after his fellowship. Being at Tulane gave Jackson the freedom from his family that he loved, and now, wasn't ready to give up. Plus it would be nice to be on the west coast, where he could be closer to his kids, who lived in Seattle with their mother.

Thinking of his kids, his eyes quickly scanned the room to find them. He quickly spotted his son Aiden, chatting with the other surgeon kids at the party. It sometimes scared him how much his son looked and acted like him. His son was now 15, and he saw so much of himself at that age in him. He was smart, played on the basketball and football team, and was quite a good looking boy just like his father. But along with the similarities came the differences. Physically, his son's skin was lighter than his, and he had more curls on his head. Jackson kept his hair fairly low, but his son found out that girls liked his curls and opted to let it grow out. Although the young Avery looked much like his father, he had settle features of his mother, like the lone dimple in his cheek. And the big difference between father and son was that the boy was a bit of a trouble maker. He was always playing pranks at school and constantly making fun of his younger sister.

Thinking of the sister, Jackson realized that the other fraternal twin, his daughter Jordan, wasn't next to him. She was somewhat a quiet girl, and would always find herself stuck to her brother's side like glue. Aiden sometimes found it annoying, but would allow it so he could give the stick eye to guys who dared look at his sister too long. As much as he picked on her, he liked playing the role of over protective big brother, even though he was older by just ten minutes.

Jackson scanned the room and quickly spotted his daughter. His eyes widened though when he saw that she was talking to some boy. His eyes then narrowed. Who was this guy and why was he talking to his daughter?

Catherine noticed the change in his expression and followed his eyes. She looked over her shoulder and found what her son was staring at.

"Stop staring at the boy, you'll burn a hole through him" Catherine said

"That's the plan" Jackson replied continuing to stare "Who is this kid anyway?"

"Remember Dr. Wesley at the hospital? That's his son, Brent"

"Great" Jackson sarcastically said, he wasn't so fond of the cardiothoracic surgeon, who was always quick to compare him to his grandfather

"He's nothing like his father O.K?" Catherine assured him "He's a very nice boy. He's respectful, ambitious. He's smart too, got into Harvard last year"

Jackson eyes widened once again as they shot to his mother "He's in college?"

With that, he walked away from his mother and headed towards the two.

"Jackson!" Catherine hissed, trying to stop her son

He ignored her and kept walking, there was no way he was about to let some college kid chat up his 15 year old daughter. As he approached, his mug changed into a "pleasant" smile, which boys over the age of ten, found intimidating. As he got closer, he noticed how his daughter bat her lashes, looked to the floor and moved her now straightened hair from her face. She was flirting and she looked so much like her mother when she did. She may have his eye color, the light freckles on her cheek and the slightly tanned skin, but everything else was her mother, down to that damn dimple. Just like his son reminded him of himself, his daughter reminded him of her mother. He shook his head; he wasn't supposed to be thinking about her. He watched as Brent pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He was about to ask for her number, and Jackson was determined to stop him.

"Hey" he said as he approached the two

Their heads shot up to him, and the looks on their faces instantly changed.

"Oh god" Jordan said preparing herself for the embarrassment she was sure she was coming her way

Jackson looked at the younger Wesley. He looked scared and Jackson loved every bit of it.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Jordan asked, plastering a fake smile on

"It's my party" he simply said, getting a _"really?" _stare from his daughter "Just came to check up on you. Saw you talking to this young man here..." he added looking at Brent

"Brent Wesley sir" he nervously said putting his trembling hand out

"Ah, Dr. Wesley's son right?" Jackson said taking his hand, squeezing it a little too tightly when he shook it

"Yes sir" Brent answered, slightly looking down at his hand

"Well, nice to finally meet you Brent, been hearing some amazing things about you" Jackson said

"Really?" Brent said with a slight smile, maybe he wasn't in trouble with Mr. Avery

"Really?" Jordan asked squinting her eyes at her father

"Yes actually" he replied "I heard that you go to Harvard"

"Yes sir, I do" Brent answered, a bit more relaxed

"Liking the school?"

"Yes sir"

"What about Cambridge? Liking the place?"

"Yes sir"

"The hot girls?"

"Yes sir!"

Jackson raised his brows and folded his arms as a smirk appeared on his face. As he watched the realization of what he just said hit the young man's face, his daughter did a face palm, she should have known something like this was going to happen.

"Uh I-I-I-I-I-I-I-uh" Brent stuttered, nor sure how to say

"This is the part where you run away and don't come back" he said to him, smirk still present on his face

After stuttering again and failing to say words, Brent turned on his heel and friskily walked away from the father and daughter

"Oh my god, dad that was so embarrassing" Jordan said turning to him

"Really?" he asked acting clueless and getting another stare from his daughter "You shouldn't be talking to him anyway"

"Why not?"

"He's in college, you're 15" he stressed

"I'm not a little girl anymore dad, I'm going to be 16 next year"

"So that makes you a woman?"

"Well...yeah"

Jackson sighed "Sweetheart, guys like him only have one thing on their minds at that age, something you are not ready for"

"What makes you think I'm not ready?"

"You sleep with a stuffed animal every night"

"For your information, I haven't slept with Mr. Fuzzy Pants for a week" she boasted

"Wow" Jackson joked "That makes so much of a difference"

"She's lying, saw Mr. Fuzzy Pants in her suitcase" Aiden said walking up to them, he had heard the last bit of their conversation

"Shut up!" Jordan said, slapping her brother's arm when he stood next to her

"Ow" he said holding his stinging arm before looking at his father "See the kind of abuse I have to deal with"

Jordan smacked her lips and rolled her eyes. She loved her brother and all, but man was he annoying.

"What's going on?" he finally asked

"Your sister was about to give her number to Brent Wesley" Jackson answered

"Oooo, the college guy?' he asked before looking at his sister "You're in troubleeeee" he teased

"Shut up"" Jordan shot back

Aiden looked at his father "Is she grounded? You know, since she's been talking to older men, Ow!" he received a slap in the back of his head

"No she's not" Jackson said "If she was, you would be too"

"Why?"

"You were supposed to be watching her"

"I was" Aiden defended himself

"I don't need Aiden to keep tabs on me dad"

"Actually you do. The moment I take my eyes off you, you run off giving your number to pedophiles...Ow" Aiden said, he had gotten another slap from his sister "Can you stop?"

"No" she shrugged

Jackson watched the interaction and chuckled to himself. He knew he should stop the bickering and slapping but it was kind of entertaining. It wasn't quite entertaining when he was the one getting slapped in the arm.

"What did you say to that poor boy? He looks like he's about to wet his pants" Catherine said to him

"I didn't say anything" Jackson denied

"Yeah right"

"Grandma.." Aiden said pointing to his sister "Jordan's been talking to older men"

Once again he got a slap from his sister. He winced at the pain before looking at Jackson, waiting on him to discipline his sister, but he just sat there and watched. Along with it being entertaining, Jackson thought his son got what was coming to him. Aiden then looked at his grandmother for help.

"Jordan stop hitting your brother, this is not how Avery's behave" she scolded, causing a smile on Aiden's face "And you..." she pointed at him, causing the smile to fall "..stop teasing your sister"

"Yes ma'am" they both answered

"Now run along, so I can talk to your father"

The two turned and walked away. Aiden stopped and turned back when he heard his name.

"Watch her" he mouthed, pointing to Jordan

Aiden nodded and followed his sister.

Catherine then looked up to her son. His behavior with Jordan was expected, many men have that reaction when dealing with their daughter and boys. But in Jackson's case, she knew a lot guilt had a part to play in it too.

"You can't protect her forever" Catherine said

"I know" he answered "That doesn't mean I'll stop trying"

He knew his daughter might think he was sounding unreasonable, but all of this was for her own good. He didn't want her or her brother to go through the same thing he and their mother did, mostly their mother. It was the actions from their high school and college years that had gotten them to where they were now. Things seemed to be good on the outside, but they had to go through hell and high water to get there. For Jackson though, things never got better, he still felt the same way he felt back then.

"I know that sweetheart. But you can't let what happened with you and her mother prevent her from living her life" Catherine said

Jackson understood where his mother was coming from. In fact, he remembered making such a promise to the mother of his twins years ago.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_He sat on the left of the large rectangular table, she sat on the right. Him in a blue suit and tie, her in a black shirt, jacket and blue blouse. Him clean shaven, her, hair in a tight bun. To the outside world, they looked sharp and ready for what could be the most important job interview of their lives. But the fact that they were in a law firm conference room gave off a different idea._

_Her lawyer was late and his had left the room to answer an important call, leaving them alone for the first time in months. The divorce papers laid between them, ready to be signed. They had communicated through their respective lawyers and came to an agreement they both were happy with. Now, the only thing left to do was sign._

_"Can you promise me something?" she asked, breaking the silence_

_He looked up from his palms in his lap and to her. He missed her, and looking at her face made it worse. He had tried everything in his power to stop it, to prevent this day from happening, but here they were, at 21 and 22, about to get divorced, and there was nothing he could do about it._

_"Anything" he said, keeping his eyes locked on hers_

_"Promise me that what happens today, doesn't affect our children negatively. We treat them the same way we would have if this had never happened" she said_

_Her parents were divorced, so was his. They knew exactly the kind of negative affect a divorce can have on children._

_"I promise" he said_

_Just then the glass door opened, and in walked their lawyers._

_"Sorry for being late" her lawyer said "Bad traffic"_

_The lawyers took a seat next to their respective clients_

_"Let's get this done" Mike Ferris, his lawyer, the family lawyer, said_

_They looked over the divorce papers one more time, before they each took a pen and signed their names._

_**End of FLASHBACKS**_

Jackson watched his twins converse with their friends as his mind went back to that day. He would try to keep his promise, like he's been doing all these years, but that didn't mean he would try to prevent the same thing that happened to them to happen to his children.

* * *

"Do we have to leave?" Jordan whined from the back seat of the car

Jackson looked into the mirror of his car and saw the disappointed looks on his children's faces.

"I'm afraid so" he answered her "Your mother said she needed you guys home"

"But why?" Jordan asked with pout

"I don't know, she said it was something important" he answered

"But we barely got time to spend with you, grandma or grandpa Harper" the teen girl whined again

"I know" he said with a sigh

Jackson knew where his daughter was coming from. He hadn't seen then since last Christmas, and he was looking forward to spending time with them. He would have argued longer for his way, but she claimed it was important and wasn't taking no for an answer. So here he was, driving them back to the airport for their flight back to Seattle, four days after his birthday.

"I bet it has something to do with stupid Grayson" Aiden said for the first time since they left for the airport

"I won't be surprised" his sister said in an annoyed tone

All Jackson knew was that Grayson was April's boyfriend and that his kids weren't too fond of him. He had never met the guy, but if April was dating him, he had to be an O.k. person.

"What is you guy's problem with him anyway?" Jackson asked

"He's a douche" Aiden simply answered

'Hey!" Jackson scolded

"Well he is" his son muttered

He knew what the problem was. This was some guy coming in, wanting to be with their mother and be their dad. They wanted to protect her and felt like they already had a dad, and he couldn't be mad at that. He remembered being that way with his mother when she started dating after his father left.

Soon enough they arrived at the airport. After getting out and getting their things from the trunk, they went into the airport and did the necessary check ins. When their flight was called, they got up from their seats and Jackson pulled his twins into a hug, kissing them on the forehead.

"Daaaaad!" the two groaned causing him to chuckle, kisses on the forehead wasn't cute anymore

"Call me when you get there" he said releasing them

"We will" Aiden answered grabbing his bag and then walking towards the terminal ahead his sister

"Bye dad" Jordan yelled back to her dad as she followed her brother

"Bye" Jackson smiled waving back

* * *

April watched as her twins pushed their food around on their plates as they answered _"Yes"_, _"No", "Good" _and _"Not really" _to the questions they were asked. She was grateful that Jackson cut his time short with them so that they could be there, and she promised herself she would make it up to him for Christmas. But it was quite happy that they weren't happy to be there and she was beginning to get upset because her guests had started to notice their demeanor. Jordan's face was blank as she kept quiet, unless being spoken to; while Aiden had his brows furrowed much like his father's when he was angry. She casually cleared her throat, causing them to look up at her. She gave them stern looks, hoping that would be enough for them to change their attitudes.

She felt a nudge on her side and she quickly turned to her boyfriend Grayson.

"Are they O.k.?" he asked

"They're just upset that they had to leave Boston so early" she explained

"Did you tell them that this dinner was important?"

"Yes, but they really wanted to spend more time with their father"

April, Grayson and their close family and friends were all at her favorite restaurant. The couple had an announcement to make and they invited them all out to dinner on one of the hew nights they were all available. She knew that her children would rather be with their father, but she needed them there to hear this. She didn't want to tell everyone else before she told the two most important people in her life.

April looked back over at her children and saw the miserable looks on their faces as Grayson's mother began one of her legendary stories that always changed whenever she told it and brought everyone to sleep. But no one had the guts to tell the woman her stories were boring and inconsistent. She frowned a bit, wishing that her mother was there to hear the good news. Though, she wasn't sure her mother would see it as good news.

"I think we should put them out of their misery" Grayson said, hearing his mother begin

April simply nodded in response and Grayson stood from his seat. He picked up his champagne glass and gently tapped it with his fork, getting everyone's attention.

"Goodnight everyone" he greeted getting a reply from everyone "I'm glad that you guys can make it here tonight. I know you're wondering why we brought you here tonight and I'm here to finally put that question to rest" murmurs erupted among the guests "April and I have very important news to share with you" he added looking down at April

She smiled as she stood to her feet and he took her hand in his. Aiden and Jordan looked at each other, the initial confusion they had just a few seconds ago was now gone.

"I have asked this lovely woman to marry me…and she said yes" Grayson smiled

Squeals and congratulations erupted from the guest as April lifted her left hand, showing off her engagement ring she'd been trying to hide all night.

April had first met Grayson four years ago, when he first started his fellowship at Seattle Grace Hospital. It wasn't until a year later did they start dating. She wasn't so sure about him at first, but as time went on, she learned more about him and grew to care for him. Was she in love? She believed that she was. Her and Grayson's relationship wasn't like her relationship with her ex-husband. But she was young then, she couldn't expect her teenage relationship to be the same as her adult one, right? Either way, her current relationship with Grayson was better than it ever was, so when he proposed, there was no hesitation when she said yes.

As a grinning April thanked all those who surrounded her, she failed to notice the unhappy looks plastered on her twins faces.

* * *

Aiden laid in his bed, eyes glued to the touch screen of his cell phone as he scrolled down his tumblr dashboard. But his focus wasn't on the many funny gifs he passed as he scrolled, it was on the announcement his mother made that night.

This wasn't supposed to happen; he wasn't supposed to be around this long. Aiden couldn't understand why Grayson had lasted so long with his mother and how he wasn't able to run him off like he did the other men his mother dated. He and his sister knew exactly what to do and say to get a man running straight for the hills after meeting them for the first time. Some took more time, but they eventually left. At times he felt bad for doing it, but he ultimately saw it as keeping her away from the men he didn't think was good enough for her, and Grayson was no exception. Something about his mother's co worker rubbed him off the wrong way, and he didn't want him anywhere near his mother.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a soft tap on his bedroom door. He got off his bed, went to the door and opened it. He didn't have to ask who it was, he already knew.

"Are you having nightmares about calling Grayson daddy?" he teased as he stepped aside, allowing his sister to walk in

"What else would have me in your room at this time in the morning?" she said as she plopped herself down on his bed

Jordan was just like her mother when it came to the men her mother dated. But she was a bit too enthusiastic about it and often took it a little too far, making up these so called "operations" to drive men away, which mostly came back and bit them in the ass. Their last "operation" got them in a lot of trouble, and they decided they wouldn't do it again.

"We need a new operation" she said once Aiden returned to his bed

"I thought we were done with those?"

"Yea me too, but this is an emergency! We can't let mom marry him"

"I know, but there's nothing we can do at this point" he said "She already accepted and in case you didn't notice, some of our best stuff didn't work.

She sighed, her brother was right, they had ran out of options. But she wasn't about to give up.

"Looks like its time for a brain storm" she said

"Well, while you do that, I'll try to get some sleep." Aiden said putting phone on the bedside table and going under the covers

Jordan crawled to the top of the bed and did the same. Her sleeping in his bed was a norm. She always did it when she had some nightmare or was having a bad day.

Aiden's eyes started to droop as sleep caught up to him, while Jordan's eyes were wide open. Thirty minutes later she shot up in bed, an idea had hit her.

"Dad!" she yelled

"Where?" Aiden groggily asked, being woken up by the noise

"Dad! We can use dad to get Grayson to leave mom" she explained "or for mom to leave Grayson"

"And how exactly are you gonna do that?" he asked her brother asked sitting up on the bed rubbing his eyes

"We get mom and dad back together" she said grinning down at her brother

"Are mom and dad even into each other anymore?" he asked

"Remember when grandma died?" she asked

Aiden nodded, remembering the time when his grandmother died and their father had flown to Seattle to be with them. They particularly remember their parents being really close and thinking that they would get back together.

"But that was like three, four years ago" Aiden said

"Well, if it happened before, we can make it happen again" Jordan said

"This sounds disastrous" he said thinking of his sister's plan

"Have any better ideas?"

"Sadly, no" he answered after taking a few seconds to think

"So it's settled, we get mom and dad back together!" she grinned

"This is going to be a mess" he whispered to himself

"We'll call it Operation Phoenix, because our parents love will be rising from the ashes!" Jordan said flapping her arms like a bird

"That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard" her brother commented

"Shut up!" she said slapping his arm

"Fine, fine" Aiden said rubbing his arm "Operation Phoenix it is"

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**Soooo, what do you guys think? Japril has been going through a lot and I thought a story like this might take a little of the hurt away. So, Please follow, favorite or Review and tell me what you think! You know your suggestions and ideas are always welcomed! Don't know when I'll be able to update, since I'm working on Equilibrium, but once I get the creative juices flowing, I'll write it and it will be up!**

**So until next time guys!**


	2. Chapter 2: Operation Initiated

**Hey readers! I'm back with another chapter. For those of you who reviewed, followed and favorited, Thank You! Sorry for taking so long to update, been going through some thing. Plus I've been going back and forth with this chapter, but I finally came up with this. It won't be what you expect, but I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own these characters, well, most of them.**

* * *

_**Chapter 2: Operation Initiated**_

In the cafeteria, April sat on one side of the table as her friends sat on the other side.

"Is this some kind of intervention?" She asked as two of the three friends had their arms folded and a glare set on their faces

"No it's not" Lexie said

"Yes it is!" Stephanie argued

She looked over at Lexie Grey-Sloan, sister of her co worker and childhood friend Meredith Grey and wife of Mark Sloan. Although the younger surgeon was a year behind in her residency, the two became fast and close friends. April witnessed every high and low of her and Mark's relationship and she was always encouraging April to get back on the dating horse.

Stephanie Edwards was a 2nd year resident at the hospital. Her and April first met when the then intern was assigned to the then 5th year, chief resident's trauma case. Stephanie had a certain skill for trauma and April noticed and encouraged it. And that was how the mentor-mentee relationship grew.

"What's this all about?" April finally asked as she dug into her lunch

"Your engagement" Lexie answered with a frown and mouthed _"sorry"_

"You know, the one you only told Lexie about" Reed said

Reed Adamson, best friend of April Kepner since intern year. Although the two had very different personalities, they easily became friends that first day at Seattle Grace. They weirdly complimented each other. When April thought it, Reed said it and when Reed was saying too much, April held her back.

April sighed, she should have known that this was going to be the topic of discussion. Since after their announcement of her engagement, she hadn't had the time to talk to Reed or Stephanie about it. Well, she was actually trying to avoid doing it for as long as she could. When it came to her relationship, each of her friends were on different pages.

Lexie was a bit skeptical of him but grew to like him. He was smart, ambitious, a great surgeon and pretty hot, all the things that reminded her of her own husband. She was very supportive of the relationship and often invited the couple out on double dates with her and Mark.

Along with his smarts and ambition, came a bossy attitude and a disrespect towards the nurses, interns and residents. He would call the nurses "The help" and treat the interns like they were kids. And this was why Stephanie hated the man. She couldn't see what April saw in the Meanie.

Reed was the one who was in the middle. She didn't like him, but she didn't hate the guy either. His attitude didn't really bother her, cause she knew that she too got like that sometimes. She was ok with them dating at first, he was just supposed to be a good lay, like she told April back then, but once things started getting serious, she wasn't there for it. He was a cool guy and all but he didn't seem like serious boyfriend or marriage material. He certainly didn't seem like father material either, though April believed otherwise and thought her kids liked him. Plus there was something off about the cardiothoracic surgeon, she couldn't put her finger on it but she knew that there was.

"When were you going to tell us?" Stephanie asked

"Uh..."

"Were you even going to?" she asked again

"Yes, I was. I just didn't know how to" April answered

"You didn't tell us cause you know we won't like that you'll be marrying him" Reed said

"Yeah, its a bad idea" Stephanie added enthusiastically

"Stephanie..." April began before the resident cut her off

"I know, I know, he's not so bad once I get to know him, but mean is mean April"

"He calls it being a good mentor Stephanie" Lexie stood up for Greyson, much like she always did

"Well I call it being a douche" Stephanie simply said

"Why don't you just give him a chance?" Lexie asked "He's not even mean to you"

"Cause he knows I'm April's friend and he wants to get on my good side"

"Guys!" She said trying to calm them down. She then looked at Stephanie and Reed "So you don't want me to marry him because he's mean?"

"No. He just seems a bit..." Reed began

"Fake" Stephanie finished

"Two-faced" Reed added

April sighed. She had heard this on many occasions from the two. She knew her fiance wasn't well liked, but she believed that he was a nice guy. Her friends opinions were making her doubt her relationship, and she shouldn't be if she was so sure and in love.

"Are you sure you want to do this April?" Reed asked seeing her expression "Is he the right one this time?"

April was about to answer 'yes', but stopped herself. She loved Greyson, he was a good guy and she was happy. But she didn't know if she was marrying him because he was "the one" or because she was just tired of being alone.

"You have to be sure April" Lexie said noticing her hesitance. She liked Greyson but she wanted her friend to be sure "You've already been throgh a divorce"

"Yeah" Stephanie agreed "One divorce, cool, two, not so cute"

Divorce

She remembered the days when she didn't know what the word existed. She remembered finally knowing what it was and thinking "Lucky for me, Jesus will never make me go through something horrible like that". She remembered how wrong she was when she sat on the stairs and watched as her mother dragged their things out of the house while her father tried to stop her.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_"Come on Karen, we can get through this" Joe said walking past his daughter on the steps as he followed his wife down to the front door "We've gotten through this before, we could do it again"_

_"I'm done trying Joe" Karen yelled behind her bringing the last of their suitcases to the car "I can't keep doing this"_

_A 9 year old April sat on the steps and listened. This wasn't the first time she heard them arguing like this, and it seemed like it might be the last time. Why? Because her mother would always say they would leave but she never did. But this time, things were packed and the was running and ready. A younger April never quite understood why her parents argued. When she over heard them, it would be about some woman, being a "home wrecker". She thought that this woman was going to literally show up with a sledge hammer, bulldozer and wrecking ball, ready to "wreck" their house. But she was a bit older now, and had friends that were less sheltered than she was._

_"You know, you're being really selfish" her father said following her mother back into the house_

_"Oh, I'm the one being selfish?" she shot back_

_"Yes! You're taking my daughter away and breaking up my family because you can't get over this" he said causing an amused look to appear on Karen's face_

_"Well, lucky for you, you're getting a new family now, right?" she said with fake enthusiasm_

_He kept his mouth shut, he didn't really have a come back for that one._

_Karen walked towards the stairs and looked at her daughter "Come on April, say bye to daddy"_

_April slowly stood up and walked down the stairs to meet her mother. She then walked up to her father and looked up at him._

_"Bye daddy" she said in a low tone_

_Joe knelt down to his daughter's level. He could ask her to choose, if she wanted to stay with him or leave, but he didn't want her picking sides, and he didn't want her to feel like she should be._

_"Bye Duckie" he said with a small smile_

_Duckie, a name she got from her love of the ducks on their farm, and way she puckered her lips to make them look like a duck's._

_She gave her father a big bear hug, before letting go and following her mother to the car. _

_As it drove down the long drive way, she looked back at the house. Her father stood in the door way, watching sadly as they drove away._

_"Mom, where are we going?" April asked after they had reached the main road, and her father was out of sight_

_"We're going to Boston sweetheart" she answered_

_**End of FLASHBACK**_

April shook the memory from her head.

"Yes, I'm sure" she finally answered

* * *

"So how exactly is this going to work?" Aiden asked his sister as they sat in the waiting room

"I don't know yet" she answered

"What do you mean you don't know? This was all your idea"

"I know" Jordan groaned "I just haven't thought about the details yet, there are a lot of factors involved"

The two were sitting, waiting for their mother so that they can go back-to-school shopping. It was always a tradition to go together, but it was getting a bit old for the twins. Shopping with your mom wasn't so cool, especially when someone from school happened to see you. As much as they didn't like it, they still went, because not going might result with their mother returning with Barbie bag packs and super hero pencil cases.

"Like what?" Aiden asked, wondering what these factors were

"Well, we live in Seattle and Dad 's in Boston. How are we supposed to get them back together if they live on separate sides of the country?" she explained

"Ok, well, we just have to find a way to get dad to move here" he simply said, like it was easy

"How are we gonna do that?"

They sighed in frustration as they leaned back into their seats, this wasn't going to be as easy as they thought. As they thought of plans, their eyes wondered around the waiting room, and they spotted Owen, Mark and some guy they hadn't seen before, standing not too far from the waiting area.

"Thanks for coming Doctor" Owen said, shaking the man's hand

The man nodded in response before sending another nod to Mark and walking away. The smile on Mark's face instantly fell when the man was out of sight.

"I don't like him"

Owen groaned at the man "Of course you don't"

"My department needs the best and he..." he said pointing to the direction the man had just went "...is not the best"

"Come on Sloan, he's a good doctor"

"Exactly, good, not great"

"You didn't even give him a chance. The moment I introduced him, you mentally marked him as unfit"

"Because the minute you introduced him, I saw that he was unfit" Mark explained

Owen rolled his eyes in frustration and began to walk away.

"I need a plastic surgeon Hunt!" he called out to the chief

At that, Jordan's eyes widened.

"That's it!" she said as the idea popped into her head

"Huh?" Aiden asked getting out of his daze

"I have an idea" she said getting up from the chair and walking towards the plastic surgeon

"What? Wait where are you going?" Aiden asked jumping out of his seat and following his sister

"Hey Dr. Sloan" Jordan said with a smile once she got to him

"Hey kids, what are you guys doing here?" he greeted

"We're waiting for mom" the girl answered

"Oh..."

"Sooooo, I heard your little conversation with Dr. Hunt..." she pressed, wanting the surgeon to continue

"Ah, you heard that. Well, a few fellows left so I have openings. The doctors Hunt picked weren't worthy enough for my department" Sloan explained to them

"Well, we know a surgeon who's worthy enough" Jordan said with a grin

"Who?" Mark quickly asked. The man was desperate, he didn't care that he was getting what he needed from teenagers

"Our dad" Aiden answered, finally getting what his sister was trying to do "He just finished his fellowship in Tulane , and he's looking for some place else to work"

"Of course" Mark said wondering why he hadn't thought of Jackson "He's an excellent plastic surgeon, thanks to me" he added, proud that it was his pushing that had gotten Jackson into plastics "And he would be a perfect fit for the Plastics Posse"

"What?" Jordan asked with a confused look

"The Plastics Posse?" Aiden questioned with the same confused look as his sister's

"Thanks for the suggestion kids" he said, ignoring the questions "Where is your father now?"

"In Boston. Stuck in Mass Gen with grandma and grandpa" Aiden answered

Mark frown, it was going to be hard getting him away from his mother and Harper. But that wasn't going to stop him from convincing Jackson Avery to come to Seattle Grace.

"I'm gonna give your father a call...right now" he said as he began to walk away "Thanks kids!"

Aiden and Jordan watched with grins as Mark hurriedly walked away from them.

"Nice plan" Aiden said to his sister

"Thanks" she grinned back at him

"This might actually work"

"I know" Jordan giddily squealed

They looked at each other with excitement written all over their faces.

"Twin five!" they both said, giving each other high fives, totally unaware of someone standing behind them

"What did you two do?" they heard causing them to quickly pull their hands away from each other and turn around

"Oh, it's just you" Jordan said after letting out a sigh of relief "Hey Steph"

"Hi Jordan" she said still looking at the girl suspiciously

Aiden quickly fluffed his hair and put on his "Avery Sparkle", guaranteed by his father to lure girls in every time.

"Hey Stephanie"

The resident looked over at him "Aiden" she said dryly

He figured the infamous sparkle wouldn't work, it never did, she was a woman after all. But he had to try, and always will when he got the chance.

Aiden Avery has had a crush on Stephanie Edwards the day he met her. April had been called to the hospital for a trauma, and her babysitter was running late. The twins believed they could stay home alone, they had each other after all, but their mother begged to differ. So, Stephanie, her then intern, had to keep an eye on the 12 year olds in the waiting room until the babysitter arrived for them. Aiden wasn't down with one of his mother's "Suck ups", as he once heard Dr. Bailey call them, babysitting him in the waiting room, but he was all smiles when he saw who it was. He was smitten and has been sprung ever since.

"Are you ever gonna give me a chance?" he asked with a frown

"Nope" she answered before looking at the other twin "I saw your little twin five, what did you two do?" she asked again

"Go on a date with me and I'll tell you" Aiden bargained

"Here's the thing, I don't like jail" she said without looking at him

"You'll know in due time" Jordan answered her question

"O.k..." Stephanie stretched, not sure if she wanted to know "By the way mom wanted me to tell you that she just came out of surgery, and she'll be here soon"

"O.k" Jordan answered as Aiden nodded

"I got some patients to check up on, I'll see you guys later. Bye"

"Bye" Jordan said before Stephanie began to walk away

"Does that mean we're meeting up later or..." Aiden called out to her

"Goodbye Aiden" she said as she walked, without turning around

"She totally digs me" he said getting an eye roll form his sister

* * *

Jackson sat on the edge of the table, looking down at his phone. He had tapped "END" a while ago, but he was still staring down at the screen.

There was an offer placed in front of him, an offer that had everything he needed to move forward in his life. He could work in a hospital that wasn't Mass Gen, or any other hospital in Boston. He could work where his kids lived and be closer to them. What he didn't expect in the bundle was working in the same hospital his ex-wife worked. He didn't hate his ex-wife, never did, but working in the same hospital with her was bound to cause some awkwardness, due to their eventful past.

The door to the conference room opened, causing Jackson to snap out of his daze and shift his eyes away from his phone.

"There you are" Catherine said once she spotted him "I've been looking all over for you, what are you doing in here?"

"Uh..." he said getting up from the seat "...just came in the take a private call"

His mother smirked "From a lady friend?"

"No" he quickly said causing her smile to drop

Her son hadn't had much luck with relationships after his divorce, and she was starting to worry that her son would die alone.

"From who then?"

"Mark Sloan"

"Mark Sloan?" she repeated getting a nod from Jackson "What did he want?"

"He said that there was an opening in the Plastic's department in Seattle Grace, and he wants me to have it" he answered

Catherine observed her son. She knew that he wanted out from under her and his grandfather's wings, but he didn't seem excited about it.

"This is a good thing right?"

"It is" he said "Dr. Sloan is an amazing surgeon, it would great work with him again. And the kids live right there..."

"But...?" she asked seeing as he hesitated to continue

After a few seconds of silence, he answered "April"Catherine sighed before walking up to her son.. She knew that the divorce took a toll on him, even though he tried his best to hide it from her, and that being around April would bring up some tension.

"Look..." she said getting his attention "...yes April's going to be there and yes, things are going to get pretty awkward, but that doesn't mean you can't work together. You two are doing a great job co-parenting the kids, who's to say that you guys can't work together. Yes, it's different, but I believe that you two can make it work"

Jackson nodded, his mother was right, they made it work with the twins, they can make it work with the hospital too. His mother may be underestimating the situation though. There was a lot that went on that she had no idea about. The problem was, was he or April ready to face each other again after all that happened.

* * *

**There it was, hope you liked it. I know Stephanie being friends with April, and Joe cheating sounds weird and maybe out of character, but that's part the whole trying something new with this story. So, tell me what you think! Suggestions are always welcomed.**


	3. Chapter 3: Lone Wolf Has Landed

**Hello Readers!**

**I know it's been a long ass time since I've posted a chapter for this, and for that, I am sooooo sorry. Since it's my birthday today (YAY me...kinda), I thought I should treat you guys to a new chapter. **

**This is what I came up with and I really hope you like it!**

* * *

"I can't wait 'til you get here dad" Jordan said into the phone grinning at her brother

Jackson smiled hearing her excitement. After thinking about it some more, he decided to make the call to Chief Hunt. Dr. Hunt was happy to offer him the job, knowing that he was the only one Mark approved of. He was scheduled for a meeting and a tour of the hospital in two days.

On the other side of the country, Jordan was on a high. Their plan was actually working. Now they had to figure out the next step.

"Me too" he said before jumping to the question he really wanted an answer to "Uh…is your mother O.K with this?"

"Ok with what?" Jordan asked innocently

"Me working in the same hospital as she is" he said

"Why would mom have a problem with that?"

"Well, we are divorced and all, and not many people like working with their ex" he answered, giving just a piece of the truth

"Yeah, but you guys are cool with each other right? Don't worry about it dad, mom is fine with it" Jordan said

Yes, their mother was "fine", but that was because she didn't know. She knew nothing about the job offer, or him being in Seattle in a day.

"O.k, good" Jackson said breathing a sigh of relief

Jordan felt a pang of guilt from lying to her father, but she needed the plan to work out. She heard her mother talking about letting Greyson move into their house. There was no way she was going to sit by and let that happen.

"Yeah" she said back at him "Good"

* * *

"So, what do you think?" Mark Sloan asked

The plastic surgeon had taken Jackson on the tour of the hospital, showing him the places he'd most likely frequent, like the attending's lounge, burn unit and the . The older surgeon was like a little boy showing his favorite toy truck to his new friend. Jackson had to admit, he was impressed. It wasn't as high end as Tulane or Mass Gen, but it was excellent, and certainly on it's way to their level. Mark Sloan was doing an excellent job running his department. The older man was a bit forward sometimes, and had a tendency to make inappropriate sexual comments, but the man was one of the best in the field, and he was a great teacher and friend. Plus, he would rather be closer to his kids than be around his grandfather and meddling mother.

Speaking of his children, they couldn't come to the airport or to his new apartment to see him, something about their mother being busy and having a lot of homework. He found that weird, since the school year just began, but he figured their school liked to get an early start. He didn't know when he would see them, but he hoped that they would come to the hospital to see him later that day.

"This place is amazing" Jackson answered his question "It's actually better than I thought it would be. You guys are doing a great job here Dr. Sloan"

"Thank you Dr. Avery" Mark smiled, but it fell soon after "Crap, I forgot to show you the E.R. Let's head there. I'm going to boast and say we have the best E.R in Seattle"

Jackson promptly followed behind Mark as he led the way to the E.R. They got into the elevator and were going a few floors down. It was then that he realized what Mark had said. The E.R. And who was in the E.R? His ex-wife, April Kepner. Or did she still hyphenate? He didn't quite understand why she didn't take his last name; it would have helped her a lot in the field they were working.

Jackson blinked rapidly, trying to clear his mind, it didn't matter now why she never fully took his last name. It had been a long time since they've seen each other, and he was nervous. The last time they did see each other, it wasn't under the best circumstances. Her mother had died, and he had dropped everything in Boston to go to Seattle. A few days after the funeral he had left abruptly. The reason why, they never spoke of.

That was what? Four years ago? Had she changed? Did she look different? He hoped she didn't dye her hair brown again, he always liked it red. The only times he had seen her was when he glanced at his daughter's cell phone wallpaper or either of them walked by when their children while they were video chatting the other. There wasn't much he could see if he didn't stare, and he avoided doing so. They only ever communicated through the phone or email, and it was always about the kids.

He brushed the thoughts of how she might look from his mind when the elevator doors slid open. They walked down a hallway and soon entered the E.R. There was the usual hustle and bustle of the E.R, but nothing major. He guessed there was no serious trauma to deal with. He scanned the room for the red head, he couldn't find her. He felt relieved; he wouldn't have to face her right away.

Mark started explaining to him how the E.R worked, and he instantly knew his ex-wife had a part to play in the protocol. Last time he was Seattle, when April wasn't crying or talking about her mother, she was talking about this protocol she was trying to get the Chief to look at. Listening to Mark, he realized she had gotten the Chief to listen to it and he thought it was a great idea like he did.

"You know your ex-wife came up with this protocol" Mark informed

"I figured" he answered

The tour of the tour of the E.R would have continued if they weren't interrupted.

"Jackson?"

He quickly turned at the sound of her voice. Where did she come from? He hadn't seen her a while ago.

He took the time to take in her appearance. She was dressed like the rest of them, scrubs, lab coat and sneakers. But her hair, it was different, and yet familiar. She didn't change the color, which he was grateful for. Her hair was shorter, reaching just above her shoulders. He had seen her with it like this before…once. It was the day they first met.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"_Jackson buddy, come down here"_

_Hearing his father's voice, ten year old Jackson jumped off his bed, ran out his room and headed down the stairs._

"_We're in the living room" he heard his mother say_

_Once at the bottom of the stairs, he headed towards the living room, wondering what his parents wanted. Maybe they had bought him the new toy car he asked for. _

_As soon as he entered the room, he knew that it had nothing to do with toys._

_Sitting on the couch, opposite the arm chairs his parents were sitting in, was a woman and a girl. He stopped in his tracks staring, who were these people?_

"_Come here Jackson" Catherine said_

_Jackson slowly made his way towards his mother, his eyes glued to the young girl._

"_Jackson, this is Ms. Karen" Catherine said once he got to her "She's going to be your new nanny"_

_At the word nanny, Jackson would usually roll his eyes. He didn't like them; they were too bossy for him. He didn't get why he had to listen to them, they weren't his parents. _

_This time, he didn't do or say anything, his eyes were still on the girl._

"_Go say hi Jackson" his father said_

_Jackson stepped forward, still leaving a big space between him and the couch._

"_Hi" he said, finally looking at the older woman_

"_Hello Jackson" Karen said getting up from her seat and going to him, "It's nice to finally meet you" she added extending her hand_

_Jackson took her hand and shook it. He then looked back to the girl who was still sitting behind her on the couch. Karen noticed and called to her daughter._

"_This is my daughter April" she introduced "Say hi April"_

"_Hi" April said, giving a small wave_

_Jackson took her in. Her multicolored head band, her short red hair, her bright pink shirt under her jean jumper, and her creepy green sneakers. Why was she dressed so weird?_

"_Hi" he finally said giving her a wave back_

_**End of FLASHBACK**_

"Hi" Jackson said to her

"Hi" April said looking him up and down "You're…here"

"I am" Jackson answered with a smile

"What _ARE_ you doing here…exactly?" She asked wondering why he was in scrubs and a lab coat with his name on it

He looked at her confused.

"Jackson has agreed to come work here" Mark piped in

"You work here now?" April asked brows rising

"Yeah"

When her eyes landed on her ex-husband in the E.R a minute ago, she thought he had come to see the kids or something, not because he was actually working there.

"So…does that mean you live here? _In Seattle_?"

"Yeah" Jackson answered again even more puzzled "I got here yesterday. Didn't the twins tell you?"

"They know?"

Silence filled between them as they realized that their kids neglected to inform their mother of him being there.

"I talked to Jordan the day before I got here. She said she told you"

"Well she didn't" April said, thinking that her teenage daughter was going to be in so much trouble

"Well, I'm sorry about that, should have told you myself"

"It's Ok, I'll talk to them about it later"

Another moment of silence fell between them, before April decided to speak again.

"So…how have you been?" she asked

"I've been Ok…you?" he said

"Ok too…I guess" she answered

There was silence between them again.

"Liking the hospital so far?" she asked

"Yeah…it's…pretty cool" Jackson answered

'_Pretty cool? That's the best you got?'_ he mentally scolded himself

"That's…good" April said, trying not smile awkwardly

Mark stood back and watched the exchange. What the hell was going on?

"Uh…"

"Sooo…"

Mark decided that he had to do something quick before this got any more awkward, if possible, and someone embarrassed themselves.

"Well, Dr. Avery and I have to continue with our tour" he said stepping behind Jackson

"Oh, go ahead" April quickly said, relieved, before addressing Jackson "Uh, I guess we'll see each other around"

"Yeah" he simply replied

"Ok"

"This way" Mark said leading Jackson away, happy that he was some sort of hero.

* * *

April glared at her twins as she stood in front of them in the living room. They sat on the couch, looking as innocent as ever. As soon as she got home from the hospital, she had called them down from their rooms.

"You two lied" she stated

"Oh what would we lie about dear mother?" said Aiden in his best mannered voice

"Don't start with me Aiden" she scolded, pointing a finger at him "Your father is here, in Seattle"

"He is?" Jordan asked, acting surprised.

Seeing the pissed look her mother gave her, her face fell.

"Yes, he is. And you two knew about it. Not only did you not tell me, you lied to your father and told him that you did"

"We forgot" Jordan said

"You forgot?" April mimicked "Did you really?"

They said nothing for a few seconds.

"No" Jordan finally said looking down

"I thought so" April said back "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Mom.." Aiden began but was cut off

"Why would you not tell me that Jackson was in Seattle _AND_ working at Seattle Grace?"

The twins looked at their mother. This seemed to be more about their father being there than them actually lying.

"Why are you freaking out about dad being here?" Jordan asked curiously, trying to hold back a smirk

"I'm not freaking out about your father being here" she quickly answered "I'm mad that you guys lied to him about telling me"

Aiden squint his eyes at his mother. Now she was the one lying.

"Ok" Jordan said

"If you say so" Aiden added

April looked suspiciously at her twins, they looked like they wanted to laugh.

"Go to your rooms!" she instructed annoyed

They quickly got up and headed to their bedrooms. Once they were at the top of the stairs, she could hear their giggles.

"Ugh" she groaned, plopping herself on the couch

What was she going to do with these two?

* * *

"Bye mom" The twins said getting out of the car

"Bye. Have a good day at school" April answered

"Bye Stephanie" Aiden said with a smirk before getting out of the car

"By Aiden" Stephanie answered dryly with an eye roll

The resident needed a ride, and April had picked her up on her way to drop the kids off.

"Remember, straight home after school" April called out behind them, getting groans as a response

"It's Friday April, let them hang out with their little friends" Stephanie said once they drove away from the school

April had a tendency to be a little strict on the twins. She always wanted to know where they were and dictate where they went and who they hung out with. The kids hated it, especially Aiden, who was the more sociable of the two.

"I would, but their grounded" she responded

"What did they do now?"

"Their father moved to Seattle and is working at the hospital. They never told me…" she stressed on the last part "…and lied to Jackson about it"

"Wait, Jackson works at Seattle Grace?"

"Yes"

"Ooooh" Stephanie said in realization "So he's the new deliciously sexy doctor that's working with Dr. Sloan" Stephanie grinned

"Steph!" April said annoyed

"What? I'm just repeating what the interns said" she defended herself "So, they're grounded because they didn't tell you?"

"No, they're grounded because they lied to Jackson"

"It doesn't seem that way"

"Yes, I'm upset they didn't tell me but that's not a reason to ground them" April said "I just would have liked to know"

"Maybe they didn't tell you because they know you'd be bothered by him being here"

"Why would I be bothered?"

"Um, I don't know. Maybe because you're getting married and you don't need distractions"

"How would Jackson distract me?"

Stephanie gave April a knowing look "He has his ways"

"You know what, we're done talking" April said

"No we're not. I'm on your service today, so this_ WILL _come up again" Stephanie shot back

April groaned "Great" she sarcastically said

She couldn't wait for that.

* * *

**And there you have it! I hope you guys like it. Please leave a review and tell me what you think! I don't know when I'll be able to post again but I'll try not to wait as long as I did before.**

**Until next time guys!**


	4. Chapter 4: Operation Delay

**I know it's been a while but here it is! Not gonna waste any time, so read away!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always**

* * *

"Are we seriously not going to talk about this?" Stephanie asked following behind April

"There's nothing to talk about Steph"

"Your Ex-husband is back in town and you're bothered by that. You think that's not anything to talk about?"

The two had just come from checking on one of their patients and were off to do so again.

"I think we should talk about this" Stephanie said

"And I think we should drop this" April said back

Stephanie was about to argue when April's pager went off. She checked it and informed her resident that they had an incoming trauma. Leaving their next patient check up for another time, the two hurried to the E.R then into the entrance to wait for the ambulance. As the two fastened the strings of their yellow gowns, someone appeared next to them doing the same. April looked to her side and instantly grew rigid at the sight of her ex-husband.

"Jackson" she blurted out

Hearing the name, Stephanie quickly turned and looked at the man standing next to her mentor._ "So this is Jackson"_ she thought to herself.

Jackson looked down at her "Hey"

"You got paged too?" she asked recovering from her frozen state

"Yeah" he answered "I believe it's a burn victim"

The ambulance then pulled in and the three doctors ran to it. The door opened and indeed they were greeted with a burn victim. As the paramedic explained the happenings and stats, the young man with his burned leg was rolled into a trauma room. Assessments were done and Jackson quickly realized that he needed a Neuro consult. He asked a nurse to page them, causing Stephanie and April to share a look, the latter hoping it wasn't her fiance.

"You paged?" a voice said

Everyone looked up and saw Greyson standing there._ "Crap"_ April thought.

"Neuro?" Jackson asked

"Yeah" Greyson answered

April and her resident watched as Jackson explained his theory on possible nerve damage. They were getting along, no awkward tension...then again, neither knew who the other was. After the conversation, the interns were instructed to move the patient to the burn unit to be cleaned up.

"Are you knew here?" Greyson asked Jackson once the patient was gone "I haven't seen you around before"

"Yeah I started yesterday. Jackson Avery" he extended his hand

"Avery?"

Stephanie nudged April.

"I guess I should introduce you guys" April said after throwing an annoyed look at Stephanie "Greyson, this is my ex-husband Jackson. Jackson, this is my fiance Greyson"

April waited for the tension, but there was none. Greyson took Jackson's hand with a smile, giving a firm handshake.

"It's nice to finally meet you Dr. Avery" he said "I've heard a lot about you"

"Same here" the plastic surgeon smiled _"Like how much my kids hate you"_ he kept that part to himself

"Well, I have to get back to work, so see you around" Greyson said getting a nod from Jackson

He sent a smile to April before hurrying off to his next destination.

After informing them that he would be in the burn unit with the patient, Jackson left as well.

"Well that went better than I expected" Stephanie said

"Indeed" April said

Then again, it's not like they expected them to brawl out right in the middle of the E.R.

* * *

Jackson walked down the hallway, his twins following behind him. They didn't get to see him since he arrived in Seattle, and they decided to "bend" their mothers rule and stop by the hospital before going home.

"You lied to your mother" Jackson said

The twins groaned, not in the mood for another lecture from him too.

"We didn't lie, we just omitted" Jordan defended

"Well...you lied to me"

Jordan was about to defend herself again but stopped, she really did lie to her father.

"Sorry" she apologized

"Why would you do that? Not tell her then lie to me about it?"

"Well…" Aiden began, hoping a lie would come to him, but his sister beat him to it

"She's been so stressed out about this wedding, I didn't want to stress her out more" she said

Aiden looked at his sister in amazement. Why was she so good at lying? Did she ever lie to him like that?

"Why would knowing about me stress her out?" Jackson asked

"Divorced people reasons" Aiden answered

"So why lie to me?"

"You would have told her, thus defeating the purpose of not telling her" Jordan answered

Jackson shook his head, he had a feeling there was more than he was telling him. He decided to brush it off for now and change the subject.

"Guess who I met today?"

"Who?" they asked in unison, it was still cute when they did that

"Greyson"

Jackson smiled at the groans he heard behind him. He stopped walking when they got to the nurse's station and turned to look and them.

"What is your problem with the guy? He seemed really nice"

"That's just a front" Jordan said "He's so annoying"

"And suspicious" Aiden added

"What about him is suspicious?" Jackson asked

"We know nothing about where he worked before" Aiden answered

"Or why he left" his sister added "Plus he gives off a bad vibes" Aiden nodded in agreement

Jackson was about to give them another head shake when a voice stopped him.

"Dr. Avery, here's the test results you wanted" Stephanie said when she appeared next to him

"Thank you Dr. Edwards" Jackson said getting a nod in return

"Hey Steph" Aiden said with a grin

"Aiden" she said in her usual dry tone, before sharing a look with Jordan "Ian is still doing ok, I'll page you if anything comes up"

"Thank you"Jackson replied before Stephanie walked off

Aiden stared at her as she walked away, and Jackson looked confusingly at his son.

"You're pathetic" Jordan rolled her eyes

"Am not" he retorted

"Wait…" their father said realizing something "...is that the Stephanie you keep going on and on about?"

"That's the one" Aiden answered proudly

He had heard his son talking non stop about the resident, but he had thought it was some girl from his school.

"Aiden she's a grown woman"

"I can handle a grown woman"

"Look…"

Jordan quickly cut her father off "There's no use dad, his dumb ass won't get it. Trust me, I've been trying"

Jackson looked at his_ "love" _struck son, he needed to have a little talk with him. Then again, this was Aiden, and he probably found flirting with a grown woman fun and wouldn't listen. Either way, there still needed to be a talk.

* * *

Jordan had once again decided to invade her brother's personal space, and was sitting at his desk in his room while he was sitting up on his bed.

"Nothing's happening between mom and dad" she said

"You woke me up for this?" Aiden said groggy*

"It's a problem Aid" she stressed "All they do is have awkward conversations that only last a minute...at most"

The teen girl was right. For the past week, whenever they were around their parents, there was always an awkward conversation. Jordan figured it had to be worse when they weren't around.

"We need a plan to fix this" she said

"What do you have in mind?" Aiden asked

"I was hoping you had an idea"

"Well, I don't"

There was a few seconds of silence before Jordan finally spoke.

" Maybe if we get them alone, away from us and the hospital, things will flow between them easier"

"Maybe" Aiden shrugged, just wanting the conversation to be over with so he could go back to sleep

"But how do we get them alone?"

"How about we go to sleep and maybe the idea will come to us in a dream" Aiden joked

"Aiden!" Jordan said annoyed

"I want to sleep!"

"Fine, we'll talk about it tomorrow"

With that, Jordan glared at her brother before exiting his room.

* * *

"Please mom?" Jordan begged as they sat at the table eating dinner

"Jordan we have plans tomorrow" April answered "There's church in the morning and then we meet up with Greyson and his parents"

Aiden rolled his eyes, he was not in the mood, now or ever, to be around those people.

"But mom, we barely get time to hang out with dad" Jordan reasoned

The twins had been wanting to hang out more with their father. That Sunday was his day off, and they wanted to spend the day with him.

"You're not missing church" she said

"God will understand" Aiden reasoned

His mother gave him a stern look.

" Ok, we'll go to church, but can we go to dad's after?" Aiden compromised

"What about our plans with Greyson and his parents?" his mother asked

Aiden was tempted to say " Nobody cares about them", but knew better and kept his mouth shut.

"But moooom" Jordan whined

"We made a promise Jordan" April said

"Actually, you did" her daughter corrected

"When dad was in Boston we barely got to see him. Now he's here in Seattle and it's almost the same. Do you know how much that sucks?" Aiden asked, putting on his best pout

That got his mother, he could tell by the guilty look that came on her face.

"Fine" she finally agreed "You can go hang out with your dad. But you're still going to church"

"Deal" both teens said with a smile

April continued thinking about what her son said. Jackson was in Seattle now, and things had to change.

"Jackson and I should really change around this whole custody and visitation thing"

The few weeks in summer and the alternate Christmases in Boston wouldn't work anymore. They had to come up with a new, more suitable agreement.

"Yeah you should" Jordan agreed with her mother

"Hopefully we find the time to do it, we're both so very busy"

Thinking of her conversation with her brother the night before, Jordan thought of an idea.

"Hey, how about you invite dad over for dinner? Then you guys can talk about this stuff while he's here"

"I don't know Jordan" April said, assuming her daughter wanted to use the reason to hang out with her dad more

"Come on mom, it would be fun" Jordan said

"Plus you know he's probably starving...or eating junk food all the time" Aiden added

"Your father can cook a decent meal for himself"

"Spaghetti and sauce isn't a decent meal mom" Aiden said

"Well to him it is" April argued, sure of it

"Come on mom" Jordan tried again "Imagine dad sitting, eating his spaghetti, all by himself...alone...with no one there...alone…"

"Ok fine, we'll invite him to dinner" April gave up

The twins grinned, they had managed to get their way, twice in a row. They were improving.

"We'll tell him about it tomorrow" Jordan continued to grin

She was especially excited, her plan was working.

* * *

**Chapter 4 everyone! Hope you guys like. Please be sure to leave a review and or suggestions. Not sure when I'll post again, but I'll see what I can do. Until then!**


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